Genarchitects 亘建筑事务所

undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation

undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou

FULI GARMENT FACTORY RENOVATION

Genarchitects

ARCHITECTS
Genarchitects

PHOTOGRAPHS
Bowen Hou, Hao Chen

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Beilei Fan, Rui Kong

AREA
8600 M²

STRUCTURE CONSULTANT
Zhun Zhang

YEAR
2015

DESIGN TEAM
Xiaoyi Chen, Zhe Xue, Yang Liu, Yiqian Luo, Xun Zhang, Shuting Tao, Kai Ye, Jieming Yan, Huanlingzi Lei, Lei Zhang, Wenkai Xu, Chuxue Wang, Vinchy Wu,zishen Wen

MEP CONSULTANT
Chuangjian M&e

CATEGORY
Office Buildings, Renovation

LOCATION
Shanghai, China

Text description provided by architect.

Located on Fengcheng road in Yangpu district of Shanghai, the former Fuli Garment Factory, which was founded in 1985, is still running when we first came to the site.

undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Hao Chen

The workers were busy as usual, occasionally reminding us not to take photos of them.

It was not the first time that the factory was renovated. Like every old building, changes took place as owners and users shift, gradually blurring the simplicity of the original space.

After we cleaned up the ceilings, the temporary canopies, odds, and ends, the bones of the old building slowly appeared.

undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou

The structure of the factory was assembled with prefabricated concrete components.

It was like piling up to blocks: column caps supporting the beams, beams carrying the slabs, one after another.

Today's buildings are rarely as perspicuous, more and more layers are attached to the structure to fulfill more complicated requirements, while the real bones of the building become invisible.

undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou

We wanted to restore this perspicuous feeling for the users, as well as to remind the city and citizens walking on the streets, that there is such a clear skeleton inside the banal and chaotic shell.

So we opened up the south facade, and offset the glass wall a step inside to reveal a row of structures, which also provided a balcony for people to walk out.

undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation

To the south, numerous old industrial buildings silently expand to the horizon, until a few tall buildings far beyond break the skyline--a grand scene hard to find in a city like shanghai. Except for the view, the new facade also introduces natural light.

As evening falls, the prefabricated grooved boards are lit up, revealing the structure from behind the glass, which can be seen from far.

undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation

To achieve such simplicity, we carefully organized the ventilation, firefighting installation, pipes, and ducts. Since they would be totally exposed, it was better to put everything in order.

On the ground floor, all solid walls were demolished to connect the whole site as an open entirety.

In the future, it will host commercial functions, serving the users in this park and the residents nearby. It will be an intelligible and open building.

undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou


undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
© Bowen Hou
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation


undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
masterplan
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
schematic renovation diagram


undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
ground floor plan after renovation.
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
ground floor plan after renovation


undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
section before renovation
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
section after renovation
undefinedFuli Garment Factory Renovation
before & after renovation

Genarchitects 亘建筑事务所
T +86 21 62340003
Genarchitects 亘建筑事务所
650 Changning Road, Changning District, Shanghai, China 上海市长宁区长宁路650号